No unit in the IDF can get very far without combat engineering personnel. However, these soldiers don’t always get the credit they deserve for their critical contribution to Israel’s defense. This is the story of the Combat Engineering Corps – the brave and careful soldiers charged with dismantling all types of obstacles that stand in the army’s way.
The Emotional Resonance of Music During War
Throughout Israeli history, music has been utilized to calm the chaos of war and make sense of tragedy. When words can’t quite get it right, music often can. As we deep-dive into four of Israel’s most famous wartime tunes, we can start to understand why music is just so important to our dear country, especially during dark days such as these.
Women on the Homefront in 1973: How the Kibbutzim Coped With War
When the Yom Kippur War broke out, the women of Kibbutz Beit Alfa mobilized to protect the delicate fabric of community life, something that happened across Israel. They were determined and resourceful, despite the uncertainty and anxiety: “All we thought about was how we’d survive the next day.”
“Hopefully, we’ll return soon”: Postcards From the Yom Kippur War Front
50 years ago, the Yom Kippur War didn’t spare the National Library of Israel, and employees were called to the front, serving many long months in reserve duty afterwards as well. During this period, they kept their Library colleagues up to speed on events, how they were doing, and how they hoped to get back to the finer things in life: “It’s good to see that there are still people dealing with catalogs and archives.”
Refugees of the Yom Kippur War: The Evacuees of Mevo Hama
The women and children of Kibbutz Mevo Hama in the southern Golan Heights were evacuated with the start of the Yom Kippur War. They didn’t know the true drama was yet to come: A surprising accident en route to safety was just the first of many challenges the kibbutz members had to deal with in the nerve-wracking months before the cease-fire agreements.
Growing Up Overnight: The Teenagers of the Yom Kippur War
“We realized our world would not go back to the way it had been.” With everyone fit to serve urgently called up, these young teenagers were left behind. They ran farms, treated the wounded, and even carried the dead out of hospitals. Here, the youngsters of the Yom Kippur War share stories they will remember forever. The satisfaction, the experiences, even the love that bloomed—as well as the sights they will never forget
Who Was the Soldier Who Pleaded for His Life in David Grossman’s Classic Book?
A signed copy of David Grossman’s book, “To the End of the Land”, reveals the link between the author’s pain over the death of his son and a tragic event that happened fifty years ago. This is the story of how Grossman made use of rare recordings from the Yom Kippur War in an attempt to ease the burden of a harsh reality
An Egyptian Soldier’s Diary From the Yom Kippur War
Naji Ali, an Egyptian sergeant, documented a total of five days during the fateful Middle East conflict of 1973, leaving a chilling record of the war’s brutality and the treatment of captured Israeli soldiers. The historic document recently surfaced in the collections of the National Library of Israel
A Mobile Feast: Sukkot on Wheels During the Yom Kippur War
Rare photos reveal how IDF soldiers managed to fulfill the commandment to “sit in the sukkah”, even as war raged in the north and south
How a Map Torn From a Newspaper Helped Decide a Critical Battle of the Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War of 1973 was utter chaos. Armored corps soldiers who joined the battle in the Valley of Tears on the Golan Heights were not familiar with the terrain and couldn’t find a proper map to guide them, so they improvised…
